Running In Circles || Nicholas Ruffilo

twenty one

Nicholas

Things were going good.

Really, really good.

We did a really good job at maintaining professionalism at work, but the only thing that's different is that Cass is visibly happy.

I did that.

She glows with unwavering happiness, her smile is actually beaming and sincere, and she's not looking over her shoulder constantly. Dexter is absolutely obsessed with her, too. If she's there, he only wants to be on her lap as though she was the one who raised him and feeds him. It's absolutely ridiculous.

"You're all done," she says kindly to the person in her chair. They just got the rest of their back piece shaded in and it was at least a 4 hour appointment. Thankfully, it's the end of the day and we have a date after this. I am finishing on my last appointment of the day, too. She checks them out and then comes over to me. "Hey, I'm gonna run by my apartment to change, I'll meet you here after."

"Okay, love you," I say absentmindedly, making myself pull off of the person that I'm tattooing to look at Davis, who definitely heard it and was giving me the stink eye. Cass just smiles at both of us before walking out.

"Girlfriend?" the client asks; he's a big buff dude that is getting a grim reaper on his calf.

"Yes," I admit sheepishly as I continue to work on him.

"The piece she did earlier was sick. Is that the apprentice?"

"Yeah, she's been here for a few months," I say loosely, losing track of how long it is.

The guy chuckles, making me pull off of him for a second to not mess up his shading. "She's gonna be running this place in no time if that's only after a few months."

"She's been lucky to have a really good teacher," Davis interjects. "Vincent here has taken her under his wing."

"Well, you did a great job, Vincent," the guy said kindly. I finish shading what I think is the last area; I wipe it and see I can pack a little more red into one area so I change my tip and load some red ink in.

"Thank you, she was a breeze to teach," Vincent says honestly. "I'm lucky to get someone that actually wants to work."

I'm wiping and cleaning the tattoo when I hear my phone buzzing in my pocket, but I just let it ring since I was going to be done taking pictures and taking his money in a couple of minutes. But it keeps ringing and ringing and I pick up, seeing it was Cass.

"Hey, give me just one second--"

"I'm freaking out," she cuts through, and I can hear the panic in her voice. I feel my face contort as I flip the iPad to the client for him to swipe his card, who also looks concerned.

"What's going on?"

"My entire apartment flooded today while I was at work, apparently," she says through sobs and my heart sinks. "I literally feel the carpet squelching as I walk and everything has water damage."

"Are the clothes hanging in your closet still dry?" I ask curiously, earning another confused look from the client.

"Um," she cries out shakily, and I hear her wetly walking to her closet. "Yes, it seems like it's just stuff on the floor."

"Okay, grab everything that is salvageable and bring it to my place and call your landlord."

"I can't move in with you! We just started officially dating," she cries out.

"Hey, maybe it'll be temporary, but regardless, you stay at my place anyway, right? So just grab what you can and I'm about to be home."

"Okay, I'll see you soon," she sobs before hanging up.